Skylee and Remus: The Day They Met
by MisfiredSynapse
Summary: "The first day we met, I ran you over with a trolley, pushed you out the boat, tripped you up on the stairs, spilt pumpkin juice all over your skirt, and managed to get us both lost in the dungeons," he paused, fighting off a smile. "Sorry." RL/OC.


Very long one-shot, I know, but I just had to. For those of you reading 'Fracture', this is a sort-of companion piece to that; this is Remus, Skylee, Sirius, James & Peter's first day at Hogwarts, not that Peter's in it at all (and James gets a few fleeting mentions). Still, it gives a glimpse into their lives before the wars, before the prophecy, and it shows how Skylee and Remus came to be... _Skylee and Remus._

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><p>Skylee and Remus: The Day They Met<p>

"The first day we met, I ran you over with a trolley, pushed you out the boat, tripped you up on the stairs, spilt pumpkin juice all over your skirt, and managed to get us both lost in the dungeons," he paused, fighting off a smile. "Sorry."

-[-]-

Skylee Tabanca drew in a whistling breath through her teeth and stepped through the barrier separating Muggle London from Platform 9¾. She took a lingering look at the people gathered around her and dragged her trunk across the ground towards the train, not caring if it scraped because it was old and battered anyway, having been used for her older cousin Bellatrix's first three years of schooling. Depositing it in the train, she turned to make her way onto the magnificent scarlet beast, only to be confronted with a runaway trolley.

"Look out!" the driver shouted, trying desperately to pull up. He'd taken the barrier at a run, obviously, and lost control as he appeared on the other side. Skylee froze for a moment in indecision, a moment that she regretted in the next instant as she found herself sprawled on the concrete with the contents of a boy's trunk over her head and a body crushing her legs.

"Flying Merlin!" she shouted, fighting her way out of a pair of boxers that had cleverly attached themselves to her head. Through the chaos of the crowd watching, she caught sight of her _beloved _cousin Sirius pointing at her with an oddly familiar wand, leaning on his knees as he struggled to breathe through his laughter. "Pillock," she muttered to herself, directed at him, and scrambled to her feet after the body on her legs shifted enough for her to get free.

"I'm _so _profoundly sorry!" he gasped, breathlessly, as he regained his upright standing and tugged off a loose sock from where it had stuck to Skylee's arm. She jerked away, never liking to touch a stranger, and appraised her would-be killer for signs of malice. In her family, life-threatening pranks were a daily occurrence, as much as she disliked the idea. This boy had warm blue eyes, sandy hair and a gangly build, like his body was growing too fast for him to be able to control properly. He sounded, from the few words he'd spoken, like he originated from somewhere near Bristol, though she could be mistaken. Of all the emotions flickering across his face, malice was nonexistent and she simply nodded in acknowledgement as she stepped around him and headed off to cuff Sirius in retaliation for him laughing at her. Prat.

As she walked away, the sandy-haired boy's parents approached him balefully and shook their heads. "We offered to help you, Remus, but you insisted you'd be fine..."

"Already rifling through a man's drawers, cousin?" Sirius smirked, leaning against a wall with a wand that was not his own twirling through his fingers. Skylee recognised the sleek oak quickly and patted her pockets, finding them empty, and growled. "You'll be Queen Tart if you keep that u- _ow!" _He doubled over again as she slapped his stomach, the breath leaving his lungs in a rush, and snatched her wand primly from his hand.

"And you'll be permanently singing soprano if you ever touch my wand again," she told him, rather polite and calmly, before turning on her heel and setting off for the train without a backwards glance. Her confident stride betrayed the nervousness she was feeling, but she had always been rather good at hiding her emotions. She bit her lip as she jumped across the short gap between platform and train, disliking the height though she'd never admit it out loud. Her nerves set her skin on fire and she felt like everybody was staring at her as she struggled to find somewhere to sit that wasn't populated by older kids, Slytherin kids, family members or kids looking like they were about to puke. Finally, she reached the end of the train where only one sandy-haired boy sat, engrossed in the thick book on his lap, huddled against the back wall that was connected directly to the boiler room. It wasn't a particularly cold day, but he shivered when she slid open the door and smiled at him shakily.

"Can I join you?" she asked, a slight scowl appearing as she realised she recognised him as the oaf who had tried to kill her not ten minutes earlier, by running her down with his trunk and strangling her with his wayward underwear. He glanced at her, panicked, before nodding quickly and shrinking back behind his book. Figuring that she could do with a few friends who clearly weren't Slytherin-bound or Sirius, she tugged the book down and extended her right hand. "Skylee Tabanca," she introduced. He shook her hand quickly and limply.

"Remus Lupin," he muttered quietly, quickly dropping his gaze back to his book. Skylee fell upon the seat closest to the window, resting her chin on her folded arms as she watched the people milling out on the platform, wishing suddenly that someone out there was waving her a goodbye. The closest thing she had to parents out on the platform was Walburga and Orion Black, who had bothered to turn up only to farewell their eldest son Sirius, and warn him again that he'd better be a Slytherin _or else._

Sirius stood demurely before his sturdy mother's gaze, nodding every once in a while and scuffing his feet. Skylee watched him and almost laughed, knowing that in his head he'd be swearing and cussing, begging the final boarding whistle to blow and give him an escape. Finally, Walburga's tirade had come to a natural end and Sirius practically sprinted for the train, Skylee ducking out of sight so he wouldn't make a beeline for her. She loved him, she really did... but Sirius Black was like rich chocolate- good in small doses, otherwise it makes you sick.

As the train gave an almighty lurch of effort and began the slow, sluggish departure from London, Skylee withdrew her gaze from the window and the scenery rushing by, though at this end of summer it was quite pleasant and she usually liked pretty things. She was much more interested in the fact that the other occupant of her compartment hadn't turned the page since she'd entered, and his eyes were fixed in one place determinedly as if he thought to feign concentration, and she'd leave him alone.

"You'd be more successful at that if you turned the page," she pointed out with a little snort of amusement. The sandy-haired boy froze, his hands gripping the pages of the book as he very pointedly turned the page, slowly looking up as if he'd just heard her.

"Sorry?" he asked in a very small voice, half hiding his face behind the same book. Skylee rolled her eyes and lounged on the seat, spreading out her legs under the grey school skirt she already wore. She and Sirius had both been pushed into their school uniforms by their parents, each sporting prematurely purchased Slytherin ties. Skylee had slipped hers off her neck the moment she escaped from Walburga and Orion's eyesight, and she suspected that Sirius would do the same.

She smirked a little, her dark hair falling over her face and being brushed impatiently away. "I meant that, if you want to look busy, you might want to turn the page. Unless it really takes you five minutes to read what... seven hundred words?"

Remus flushed alarmingly and Skylee grinned triumphantly to herself. They didn't speak again, the soft rocking of the train managing to send the rather tired Skylee off into a stupor, her eyes fluttering closed as the quiet was broken only by the turning of the page, and the breathing of two content eleven-year-olds. As dusk fell outside, the lights of the train struggled to keep the brightness high enough to read by, but even Remus had to concede eventually that he just couldn't. Unless he sat beside Skylee, an action he was far too shy to initiate. Especially since she had her eyes closed and looked quite peaceful, her slender legs stretched across the red material and her white shirt unbuttoned at the bottom and the top, the middle four buttons the only ones done up properly.

He didn't say a word as he left his book on the seat for the bathroom, figuring he might as well change into his robes also, because Skylee was clearly so much more experienced with the journey to school. She couldn't possibly be a first-year like him, with the amount of easy charm and confidence that oozed from her very soul. It seemed that nothing could touch her, harm her, emotionally or physically. She was untouchable in every sense of the word, a girl who knew precisely who she was and had no qualms in being herself. He envied her that much, at least.

Remus returned to the compartment a few minutes later to find it suddenly full of students from various houses, the Slytherin Crest being the most common of all. He stood, staring at the door in horror and grief for his poor book, when a tap on his shoulder caused him to release the most unmanly squeak of fright and whirl around in a tornado of black robes and sandy hair.

"Whoa, relax Loops," Skylee grinned, tossing her hair and ignoring his glare at the nickname. She threw a disgusted glance at their now bustling compartment and handed him his book she'd kept tucked under her arm, waiting for him to return for it. "Sorry about that," she said darkly, looping an arm through his as she lead him away, clearly in search of somewhere else to sit that wasn't occupied by Slytherins. "My family's kinda big, mean and stupid. Quidditch players, mostly, heads like Bludgers."

Remus snorted slightly and Skylee grinned, insanely pleased at sparking a reaction from him that wasn't stuttering, stammering or silence. "Your family's in Slytherin?" he asked, just a little disappointed at the thought of not having a friend in his house. Wherever Remus Lupin went at Hogwarts, he knew Slytherin was not going to be it. Skylee pulled a rather sheepish face and shrugged, stopping suddenly at the sight of two boys alone in a compartment, half buried under a mountain of food.

"Yeah; cousin to the Noble House of Black," she muttered disdainfully, pushing open the compartment door and giving a round of sarcastic applause. "This explains where all the food went," she called, grinning as a shaggy-haired lad and with a set of grey eyes and a handsome smile looked up and tossed a chocolate frog card her way.

"Agrippa, as a peace offering. Join us," he swept a hand at the compartment and Skylee tugged in Remus, stuffing the card in her pocket as she went. She cleared off half a bench and gestured for Remus to take a seat as she settled herself beside him, holding out a hand for a pumpkin pastry expectantly.

"Remus, this is Sirius Black, my lovable and stupid cousin," she said by way of introduction. "Feel free to eat yourself silly- he probably paid for it all." The second boy in the compartment, hair as equally messy as Sirius' and a pair of heavy glasses on his nose, snorted and scoffed.

"Not likely."

"Hullo, James," Skylee greeted, sounding rather bored. James nodded curtly at her and sprawled in the mess of food and wrappings on the ground, looking full and content. Sirius joined him a moment later and the two began listing how much they'd eaten, while Skylee nibbled her treat and rolled her eyes at Remus. He didn't need to ask to know that all three of his companions were Purebloods- Sirius Black was famous for his dad's politics, James Potter's father was the best Auror in the business, and Skylee knew them both quite well, so she'd have to be as Pure as Sirius, or his parents would never let them associate. It made Remus, as a half-blood, feel rather inferior and mighty shy to say anything.

Luckily, however, Sirius, James and Skylee all knew each other well enough to soon descend into a full-out fight on which team they bet would win the National League that year. Within moments, Quidditch had been established as a clear common interest between them and Remus half-listened to their bickering, smiling to himself as he realised he hadn't managed to make a fool of himself just yet.

"WASPS!" Sirius shouted suddenly, standing up and punching the air furiously. Skylee stood also, climbing on the seat so she was just above his eye level.

"KESTRELS!" she screamed, utterly devoted to her beloved team. James snorted and shook his head at both of them.

"Ten quid says the Cannons take the Cup," he deadpanned.

Sirius and Skylee's identical grey eyes met across the compartment and they burst into laughter as one, shaking their heads. "Oh, I pity you, Potter," Skylee sighed, wiping away an imaginary tear of mirth as she settled into her seat again. James rolled his eyes and threw a wrapper at her, which she dodged expertly and gave a delighted squeal as the train lurched and Sirius hollered wordlessly, pointing out the window at a set of glittering lights in the distance.

Huddled about the window, the four shared mad grins as they realised how close they were to Hogwarts. They stuck more or less together and were the first lined up to leave the train, full of the nervous energy one came to expect from a first year. Skylee and Sirius stood closer together than James and Remus, the former deciding eventually to disappear in search of another mate of his. Remus now lead the group, trying not to listen to the hushed conversation between the Black cousins beside him.

"Mum will kill me if I'm not- not to mention what they'll do," Sirius hissed urgently. Skylee rolled her eyes and scrubbed a hand through her untidy hair.

"Don't worry," she replied just as quietly, her voice cracking just a little. "We've put up with it long enough to know what to do. I'll stick with you, mate."

"See that you do," Sirius muttered forlornly, "see that you do." Remus had no idea what they were talking about and he didn't dare turn to ask, as it was clearly something they didn't mean for anyone else to hear. He wouldn't have had the chance to ask anyway as the students spilled onto Hogsmeade platform and Skylee clung to Sirius, heading to Hagrid at the sound of his booming voice.

"'Ello, Skylee!" Hagrid smiled down at her and she waved at him, nodding with a tight, nervous smile. She didn't dare open her mouth to respond as she felt her stomach might just reject whatever was in it if she spoke. Hagrid didn't seem to mind as he counted the students and set off towards the lake shores, the forty-odd students trailing behind him.

Sirius leapt into the first boat he saw and Skylee settled herself beside him, both glaring quite horridly as Marcus Nott tried to join them. They'd been forced to play together all their lives and he was, quite frankly, a bit of a wanker. Skylee watched the crowd for either James or Remus, preferably both, while Sirius scowled at the water as he tried to imagine what excuses he could use for not getting in Slytherin. They both knew that, while it would be a near death sentence, Sirius would not follow his family.

"OI, LUPIN!" Skylee hollered suddenly, standing up and nearly unbalancing herself from the boat. Hagrid shot her a concerned glance but she ignored it, waving frantically at Remus who hurried over and found himself sitting across from the anxious girl and her sullen cousin. "You seen James?" she asked distractedly. Remus shook his head and twisted about to look too, giving up when Hagrid motioned for the boats to move and they began drifting lazily across the lake.

Sirius soon became bored and slowly, with a devilish grin, began to rock the boat. First, it was only small rocks, nothing to get attention. Then, he bounced on his seat and the unprepared Remus nearly went head-first into the lake.

"Watch it!" he glared, and Skylee elbowed her cousin as she gripped the seat tighter; Sirius held up his hands and obeyed... for all of three seconds. This time, he continued rocking the boat despite Remus and Skylee shouting for him to stop, she pitched forward at a particularly vicious rock and landed squarely in the lap of one Remus Lupin, who caught her easily.

"Make one more move, Sirius," Skylee growled, sitting beside Remus in what she found a much safer place, "I will hex your bits off and feed them to Herman."

"Who in blessed Britain is Herman?" Sirius demanded, wincing slightly as Remus chuckled and pointed. At that particular moment, a huge tentacle rose out of the black water and towered over top of them, the end waving slightly as if it were saying hello. Skylee pointed at it and then to the water, both boys leaning over to see what she was indicating. A large yellow eye floated by, blinking slowly, as the red body of the squid twisted and the tentacle retreated into the water.

"That," she said with a satisfied grin, "is Herman. Met him last year when we came to celebrate Dumbledore's birthday. Remember when you pushed me in, git?" Sirius stared at her incredulously and Remus peered over the edge of the boat again, eager to see Herman again, the animal who's eye was bigger than Sirius' head. As he stared into the murky depths of the lake, a shadow flickered and instead of the bright yellow he was expecting, a green, scaly face appeared with the snarling teeth of a carnivorous fish lurched up and tried to take a piece out of his nose.

With what felt like the hundredth unmanly sound that day, Remus shot across the seat to get away, forgetting that he wasn't sitting alone on his side of the boat when a disgruntled cry and a splash alerted him to the fact that Skylee had just been pitched over the side. Wincing and expecting some kind of retaliation from Sirius, Remus was surprised to find himself presented with a high-five and a burst of raucous laughter.

"Stop the bloody boat!" Skylee called indignantly, floundering in the cool, dirty water as she struggled to catch them. Sirius was absolutely delighted as he leaned over the edge and patted the water.

"Here girl, swim girl!" he called, as if beckoning a dog. Remus tried very hard not to laugh, but when Skylee snorted herself and began to swim hard against the dragging of her robes, he and Sirius collapsed in chuckles that they just knew they'd pay for later. "C'mon, Skylee! Swim for Sirius!"

"Sod... off!" she said breathlessly, catching Remus' hand as he extended it to haul her back into the boat. Sirius helped them and Herman, in a fit of helpfulness, bumped the soaked student out of the lake and disappeared in a swirl of ink. As she wrung out her robes and shivered, Skylee shook her hair in Remus' direction. "Take that, fiend," she grinned. Remus couldn't help the shy smile that grew on his own cheeks, feeling for the first time hopeful that he might have made a friend- or two- already.

Skylee stuck beside Remus and Sirius as the boats came to a rest against the docks, and the trio found their feet on the flagstones of the castle. Hagrid set off up a set of stairs, the students trailing behind him, and Remus was quick to discover that Skylee and Sirius had lagged behind, whispering to each other earnestly. Torn, he walked at a pace that kept him far enough ahead to not hear anything but far enough behind the main group so he wasn't considered one of them.

As they rounded the last corner into the Entrance Hall, Remus found himself flanked by two warm bodies, an arm around his shoulder and an arm threaded through his. Skylee smiled up at him when he stared at her, Sirius chuckling at the wide-eyed shock on Remus' face.

"You gunning for Gryffindor, Lupin?" the taller boy asked, full of the cocky attitude he only dropped when the crowd wasn't watching. Nodding, Remus said nothing more as he and his two new friends waited and listened to McGonagall's welcoming speech. Well, Remus listened; Skylee and Sirius exchanged grins and punched one another behind his back, before they both disappeared to opposite sides of the group of First Years, leaving Remus to stand alone.

Skylee wound up beside a fiery headed girl who had the air of someone completely at ease with herself, and yet... not. A greasy-haired boy was beside her and he gave Skylee a sneer of disgust as she approached, one she returned with just as much animosity despite not knowing his name. "You got a problem?" she snapped. He sniffed disdainfully and moved off, the redhead shooting Skylee a furtively apologetic look before scuttling off to follow him. Forgetting they existed a moment later, Skylee watched Sirius and James laughing together, both ignorant of anything outside the bond they were clearly already forming.

It would be good for Sirius to have a better set of friends than the ones he already had. Of all the people she and he were forced to spend time with, only Andie had any chance of being liked by them. At least James, as a Potter, would prove to be a hopefully better influence on the roguish Sirius Black. Skylee watched, nervously bouncing on her heels as the first three kids to be sorted- _Abbot, Banker _and _Bead- _made their way to their respective houses. Skylee wasn't paying enough attention to notice which tables welcomed new students; she concentrated on the name she knew was next.

"Sirius Black!" McGonagall called sharply, her voice holding just a little lilt of disapproval. Skylee couldn't blame to her; the Blacks weren't well-liked in Gryffindor circles, and McGonagall was about as Gryffindor as you could get, right behind Dumbledore himself. Stumbling just a little on his way up, Sirius sat upon the stool, gripping the edges so hard his knuckles were white. Skylee could see his lips moving furiously and knew he was begging against Slytherin; her heart flew to her mouth as the Hat deliberated longer for him than anyone else yet, and she subconsciously moved closer to Remus, gripping the sleeve of his robes between her shaking fist.

Finally, the rim split... "Gryffindor!" ... and all hell broke loose. Bellatrix rose in her seat, screeching profanities, Sirius ducked the curses heading his way and Skylee broke free of the waiting first years to shelter her cousin, screaming the same long-used insults back at Bellatrix and Lucius, who as Head Boy ought to have been setting a better example for his charges.

"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore roared, standing and sending a shower of exploding sparks into the air. The hall fell silent as his glaring eyes roved the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables, silently daring them to try something else. Skylee helped Sirius to his feet and over to where the entirety of Gryffindor students shifted away as if he was some kind of leper. She glared at them long enough to make them all move back another inch or so, and pushed Sirius onto his seat. He was shaking, crying quietly to himself as he glared at his hands which were quickly covered by Skylee's own.

"This is who you are," she whispered to him. She knew just how furious his parents were going to be, and how much suffering was awaiting him come next summer. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise- I'll hex them to Hades." Sirius hiccoughed and nodded, squeezing her hand tight enough to hurt but she allowed him to unflinchingly.

"You better be in Gryffindor," he told her sternly, "I'll never forgive you if you aren't." She just grinned and winked at him as she rejoined the other first years, as the Sorting had continued without her and McGonagall was up to the 'L's, leaving Remus looking like he'd swallowed a Blast-Ended Skrewt accidentally and it was now ready to blow. She kept her wand in her hand and her gaze on Sirius, who never removed his eyes from her until she looked up to clap politely for Remus- who was also in Gryffindor- and study the Slytherin table.

Bellatrix looked murderous, Rodolphus was fuming, and Lucius Malfoy was making cut-throat gestures in Sirius' direction. Skylee hissed under her breath and vowed that if anyone touched him, she'd kill them herself and to hell with the consequences. Her angry mental tirade was cut short by the sound of her name and she flounced up to the stool with only the dark thoughts in her mind, despite some small recess telling her to get a grip or be in Slytherin.

"_Ah- Tabanca, are we? Your grandmother was a Black, your mother a Gryffindor, and your father... well, I have never seen a student more suited for Slytherin."_ Skylee had expected the hat to speak to her directly and her heart sank as she realised how stupid she had been for thinking that she- as a Black and a Riddle- would go anywhere else than the House of her father. _"Yet, you are not,"_ the hat continued as if they were taking a Sunday stroll and she enjoyed having her mind messed with. _"There is a stirring of something in you, a deeply ingrained need to protect any and all you care for, a bravery to stand up against injustice and defy your father's name. You aspire to be nothing more than good, the darkness in you is not strong enough against heart that is your mother's, your grandfather's. That sheer magical strength should have me crying Ravenclaw instantly, but again, not. You are talented, but you are reckless and thoughtless, yet you are brave and enduring."_

Skylee bit her lip and wished the hat would just get it over with. She honestly just wanted to be able to sit down somewhere and not feel a thousand eyes upon her, not feel Sirius staring at her praying that she would be a Gryffindor just like him. She didn't like to hear the whispers circulating, though the one about the hat being so bored with her that it fell asleep did make her smile.

Finally, she felt the material shift and split. "Gryffindor!" The table did not erupt in cheers as it had for James, or even Remus. In fact, there were only six people who bothered showing any form of happiness at the placement- three of whom were Remus, James and Sirius, the fourth and fifth were the Prefects Fabian Prewett and Jocelyn McKinnon, and the sixth was Dumbledore himself.

But it was Sirius who cheered the loudest, and Sirius who was the first to greet her with a hug and a whispered 'thank Merlin' as she took her place under the red and gold banner. They spent the remainder of the Sorting watching their backs- Sirius and Skylee- gripping hands under the table with their wands in easy reach. They'd both chosen seats that watched the Slytherin table. Neither of them felt particularly safe, and neither of them wanted to turn their backs on their families.

When Dumbledore rose to give the welcome speech, Skylee ignored it- Bellatrix had stood up and slunk up to Lucius Malfoy, the two of them bending their heads together and whispering frantically. Without being able to hear them, she had a fair idea of what they were thinking of, and she fully intended to find out just what. "... and I expect this year to be a good one- _regardless of house alliances, Mr Malfoy!" _Dumbledore's hard, sharp tone made Lucius and Skylee both jump a good foot, sheepishly lowering their gazes away from the headmaster. He waved Bellatrix off and Skylee released Sirius' hand to grip her wand properly, just in case. She was nervous- more nervous than she'd ever been.

With the arrival of food, all thought of the Slytherins and their threat was forgotten. Skylee tucked in, filling her plate with as much of the steamed cauliflower and cheese sauce as she dared consume. Beside her, Sirius bypassed the plate to steal a pitcher of hot pumpkin soup and drank it directly, and on her other side Remus Lupin hesitantly picked at a piece of chicken, a measly morsel that he glared at miserably.

"Not hungry?" Skylee nudged him when she took a break from frantically filling her face, and he just shrugged, watching the others eat their massive portions compared to his.

"Not sure how much I'm allowed."

Skylee just stared at him, loaded fork halfway to her mouth. "Eat, for Gods' sake," she told him laughingly, shaking her head as she reached across Sirius for a plate of dumplings, which she then planted in front of Remus. He smiled at her and took one daintily, being surprised when she rolled two more onto his plate. "House-Elves in the kitchens, dummy, the food's never-ending."

Feeling marginally better, Remus feasted on some of the _best _food he'd ever tasted, while laughing as every now and then, Skylee would flick bits of food and pumpkin juice into her cousin's hair- and he didn't even flinch. He knew that Sirius would more than likely be _furious _when he found out, which just made it even funnier. Skylee was bored quickly of that game though, and so she turned to Remus for better company.

"So, Loops," she started, munching idly on a sugar-quill, a bouquet of which sat not a foot away. Remus copied her and sucked the lolly appreciatively, while raising his eyebrows to encourage her to say more. He quite liked her, despite the obvious insanity and the amount of sheer confidence she possessed. "What's your story?" she asked. Remus froze, eyes wide, and for a moment he wondered if she _knew. _But that wasn't possible- how could she possibly- "I mean, Lupin's not a Pure name, is it? Half-Blood, I'm guessing- I saw your reaction to his last name-" she jerked her thumb at the still ignorant Sirius, and gave a knowing smile- "- and I know your parents- one of, at least, must be Ministry- you know Potter's name, too. So, what's your story?"

Remus let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and relaxed, taking another deep breath just to relax himself enough to reassure himself- _secret is safe. _"My dad's a wizard," he said slowly, thoughtfully, suddenly missing home more than he thought he would, "Works for the Department of Magical Creatures- control side of things," wincing, Remus skipped over the particular part of his home life and moved onto his mother- "Mum's a Muggle. They met while he was exterminating a nest of ashwinders from the building she worked in. They tell me their eyes met across the room and they just... _knew."_

"Blah, blah, sappy nonsense," Sirius muttered. Skylee elbowed him and sat more side-on, her back to her cousin so she was facing Remus properly. She rested her dark head on her hand and her elbow on the table, seeming quite pleased that he'd spoken for so long, without shying away. "Don't ignore it, Skylee, you know it's rubbish," Sirius continued relentlessly, "Love doesn't exist. There's only power and control-"

"And you're sounding more and more like your father, Sirius, so shut up," Skylee shot at him without turning around, her voice sharp and her eyes flashing. Remus had meanwhile shrugged to indicate it didn't matter and turned back to his food. "What's she like?" Skylee asked, scooting closer to speak more privately with Remus.

He looked at her for a moment then shrugged. "Like any other Muggle, I guess-"

"No," Skylee shook her head, and cast a glance at Sirius before she lowered her eyes. "I meant... what's she like, as a mum?" Remus blinked, and in a flash he knew. He understood why Sirius and Skylee were so close- _they were raised together- _he understood why she had gone through the barrier alone, ahead of him- _she had no proud parents to wave goodbye- _and he understood why she was asking- _Skylee was jealous._

"She does a mean steak-and-kidney pie, I tell you that much," Remus said, making light of the situation even though he watched Skylee's face fall and she sat straight, square-on to the table. His moments of her undivided attention were clearly over and he reached to refill his pumpkin juice, but was bumped at the last minute as someone next to him managed to blow up their dinner. The pitcher fell from his hands, and landed- as he watched with mounting horror- in Skylee Tabanca's lap.

She gave a squeal and stood, her grey skirt turning a sickly red colour as the pumpkin juice spread across the fabric. She held her hands up and watched, her eyes wide as little bits of moisture gathered in the corners- and the Slytherin table erupted with jeers and laughter. Sirius stood, and Skylee stomped on his foot. "Flying Merlin!" she exclaimed, eyes locking on Remus' accusingly. He stammered and stuttered, trying to formulate an apology, an excuse, but she waved him off. "I need a new skirt now, Professor!" she called up to Dumbledore, who waved his wand and cleared the mess without a hitch.

"I'm so sorry! So incredibly-"

"Profoundly sorry?" Skylee finished, grinning as Remus smiled back, recognising the first words spoken between them at the platform that morning. They fell into silence as the Prefects stood, and the First Years assembled to follow them to the Common Room. Skylee, Remus felt, was distracted- she kept watching the Slytherins go, bouncing to try to see over their heads to Bellatrix and where they were headed.

"Hey," Remus whispered, grabbing her wrist and slowing her down. "Want to follow them?" he continued, nodding after the Slytherins as they disappeared down a staircase. Skylee looked between her friend, her classmates and the disappearing Slytherins, confused, until Remus turned them both towards the dungeons, nervous at his own forwardness but feeling an overpowering sense of adventure to _just go for it_.

"Serious?" she asked, delightedly grinning at the thought of finding out where the Slytherin Common Room was.

"Nah," Remus quipped, feeling quite bold as he did so, "he's your cousin."

Skylee swatted his arm playfully, and Remus found that he didn't mind. Unfortunately, following the Slytherins became much harder to do than they originally thought, and by time they'd passed the same bust of Salazar Slytherin for the third time, they had to admit defeat.

"We're lost," Remus said finally, a tone of hopeless finality coating the words as he leaned against a wall, Skylee taking another few steps before stopping and turning around, frowning deeply.

"Black bra, white shirt," she muttered. He just stared at her and she rolled her eyes, shaking her head to indicate that it didn't matter. She then began tapping random bricks with the tip of her wand, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'open sesame'. "The castle is full of hidden tunnels," she explained as Remus snorted with laughter and raised an eyebrow at her antics. "Hopefully, we'll manage to find one that takes us somewhere we know."

Seeing the logic and the hope in that, Remus ran his hand along the opposite wall, praying something would open for them. "What if it doesn't?" he asked as he worked, and Skylee sighed audibly from behind him.

"In that case, Loops, we'll battle to the death and the winner gets to eat the loser for food until help arrives," she deadpanned. He whirled to stare at her, ignoring the nickname, hoping she wasn't serious. Her face betrayed nothing for a moment or two, then fell into an easy grin borne of confidence he'd come to envy in the short time of knowing her and he knew she was kidding. Resuming their prodding of the walls, Remus soon let out a cry of joy as a section of the wall detached from the rest and sank away, giving a small amount of light to the passage beyond. "Well done, Lupin!" Skylee whispered excitedly beside him as she placed her wand on the brick he'd pressed, whispering something he couldn't hear and expertly carving an 'S' and 'R' upon it. "So Sirius don't claim it," she explained, before taking his wrist and hauling him bodily into the dark tunnel.

They walked in excited silence for a moment or two, Skylee ahead and Remus following her close behind. It seemed that they were walking for hours until a thud echoed down the tunnel, a muttered cuss following close behind as Skylee held her head and glared at the low beams that forced them to stoop uncomfortably, then crawl along the passage until they came to a dead end. Skylee moved at Remus' murmured request, and with a wave of his wand he had the vertical trap door swinging open. They tumbled out in a tangle of arms and legs, brushing one another off as they stood and took a look around at where they were.

"Any idea where we are?" Remus asked, having no idea of the castle's layout. He knew Skylee had been there once or twice before- she mentioned attending Dumbledore's party, and had probably run amok with Sirius during the event. Skylee bit her lip as she looked both ways down the hall and ran to the window, studying the view for just about two seconds before she turned back with a grin.

"Yup. Near the Library- look, you can see the Quidditch Pitch from here-" Remus looked, finding himself unimpressed by the Pitch in the dark. He knew already though that Skylee was a crazy fan of the sport and he made a rather dashing effort to feign interest. Skylee rolled her eyes and he had the feeling that she didn't believe him for a minute- "- we want to go this way. C'mon."

He followed her without question, knowing he had no other choice. He half-wished them back in the dungeons, if only to spend a few more minutes with her- he knew that the moment Sirius was back on the scene, having Skylee's attention would be near impossible. He was so, _so _delighted in her company and he wasn't sure why- only that having her around seemed to make even the dungeons brighter. Getting back to the Gryffindor Common Room meant Remus' natural shyness would take over, and he doubted they'd even notice his presence half the time.

He sincerely doubted his tentative friendship with Sirius would have even started if it weren't for Skylee dragging him into the boat. Two friends on his very first day- Remus could hardly believe his luck, even if those friends were both Blacks and probably, deep-down, either insane or very, very naughty. Of course, Remus was no angel himself- so Skylee and Sirius being mischievous really didn't bother him.

Skylee's navigating didn't lead them wrong as they came to a stop before a Portrait and Skylee muttered 'bollocks' under her breath. "We need a password," Remus guessed, trying to remember what he'd overhead Fabian Prewett telling Jocelyn McKinnon earlier that evening... "Chizpurfle!" he exclaimed finally, and the Lady shot him such a glare for startling her out of her slumber that he slunk by without saying a word. Skylee grabbed his hand and performed a stupid celebratory dance in the middle of the empty Common before she flung her arms about his neck.

"Good job, Loops," she grinned, chucking him under the chin. "Sleep tight- big day tomorrow!" With that, she was gone and Remus was left holding the empty air where she had been. He couldn't help the huge grin growing over his face as he climbed up to bed, not realising just how tired he was until his head hit the pillow and he couldn't remember taking his shoes off.


End file.
